Laver (Seaweed)

Home , Gim (food), Green laver, Laverbread, Porphyra

Laver UK /ˈlɑːvər/ US /ˈleɪvər/ is an edible, littoral alga (seaweed). In Wales, laver is used for making laverbread, a traditional Welsh dish. Laver as food is also commonly found around the west coast of Britain and east coast of Ireland along the Irish Sea, where it is known as slake.[1] It is smooth in texture and forms delicate, sheetlike thalli, often clinging to rocks. The principal variety is purple laver (Porphyra umbilicalis).[2] Purple laver is classiﬁed as a red alga, tends to be a brownish colour, but boils down to a dark green pulp when prepared. It is unusual amongst seaweeds because the fronds are only one cell thick.[3][4] Laver has a high content of dietary minerals, particularly iodine and iron. The high iodine content gives the seaweed a distinctive ﬂavour in common with olives and oysters.[5] Porphyra is also consumed in East Asia, where it is known as zicai in China, nori in Japan, and gim in Korea. Laver and toast Ulva lactuca, a green alga, also known as sea lettuce, is occasionally eaten as green laver, which is regarded as inferior to the purple laver.[6] 2 Laverbread

Laverbread (Welsh: bara lafwr or bara lawr) is a traditional Welsh delicacy made from laver. To make laverbread, the seaweed is boiled for several hours, then 1 Cultivation minced or pureed. The gelatinous paste that results can then be sold as it is, or rolled in oatmeal; it is generally coated with oatmeal prior to frying. Laver cultivation as food is thought to be very ancient, Laverbread is traditionally eaten fried with bacon and though the first mention was in Camden's Britannia in cockles as part of a Welsh breakfast. It can also be used the early 17th century.[7] It is plucked from the rocks and to make a sauce to accompany lamb, crab, monkfish, given a preliminary rinse in clear water. The collected etc., and to make laver soup (Welsh: cawl lafwr).[10] laver is repeatedly washed to remove sand and boiled for Richard Burton has been quoted as describing laverbread hours until it becomes a stiff, green mush.[8] In this state, as “Welshman’s caviar".[11] the laver can be preserved for about a week. Typically Laver is often associated with Penclawdd and its cock- during the 18th century, the mush was packed into a crock les, being used traditionally in the Welsh diet and is still and sold as “potted laver”. eaten widely across Wales in the form of laverbread. In Cultivation of laver is typically associated with Wales, addition to Wales, laverbread is eaten across the Bristol and it is still gathered off the Pembrokeshire and Channel in North Devon, especially around the Exmoor Carmarthenshire coasts,[9] although similar farming coast around Lynmouth, Combe Martin and Ilfracombe. methods are used at the west coast of Scotland. In North Devon it is generally not cooked with oatmeal Laver can be eaten cold as a salad with lamb or mutton. and it is simply referred to as 'Laver' (lay-ver). A simple preparation is to heat the laver and to add butter Laver is highly nutritious because of its high proportions and the juice of a lemon or Seville orange. Laver can be of protein, iron, and especially iodine. It also contains heated and served with boiled bacon. It is used to make high levels of vitamins B2, A, D and C. Dried purple laver [12] the Welsh dish known as laverbread. contains high amounts of Vitamin B12.

1 2 6 EXTERNAL LINKS

3 See also 6 External links

• Aonori • Laver (Porphyra umbilicalis) at YouTube

• Dilisk – another edible seaweed • Laver (Porphyra umbilicalis) at Wikimedia Com- mons • Edible seaweed • Laver (Porphyra umbilicalis) at Wikispecies • Gim – similar style food in Korean cuisine • Laver (Porphyra umbilicalis) at Encyclopedia of Life • Kombu • Laver (Porphyra umbilicalis) at BioLib

• Nori – a similar-tasting food in Japanese cuisine • Laver (Porphyra umbilicalis) at Global Biodiversity Information Facility

• Laver (Porphyra umbilicalis) at Animal Diversity 4 References Web

[1] “British food seaweeds”. http://everything2.com. Re- trieved 6 May 2012.

[2] “Algaebase :: Species Detail”. www.algaebase.org. Re- trieved 2008-08-10.

[3] “laverbread – WalesOnline”. www.walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-08-10.

[4] Wells, Emma (2010), A Field Guide to the British Sea- weeds, National Marine Biological Analytical Quality Control Scheme (p 24).

[5] “Laver nori”. www.hospitalityinfocentre.co.uk. Re- trieved 2013-11-01.

[6] “BBC – Science & Nature – Sea Life – Fact ﬁles: Sea lettuce”. www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-08-10.

[7] Mason, Laura (2008-05-20). “Great British Bites: laverbread – Times Online”. London: www.timesonline.co. uk. Retrieved 2008-08-10.

[8] “Laverbread Parsons Pickles » Home”. laverbread.com. Retrieved 2008-08-10.

[9] Don, Monty (2001-11-11). “Down your way”. The Ob- server (London). Retrieved 2008-08-10.

[10] “Traditional Welsh Recipes”. welsh-recipes.the-real- way.com. Retrieved 2008-08-13.

[11] “Black Mountains Breakfast — Brecon Beacons National Park”. www.breconbeacons.org. Retrieved 2008-08-10.

[12] “Watanabe et al. (2014). Vitamin B12-Containing Plant Food Sources for Vegetarians”. Retrieved 2014-01-08.

5 Bibliography

• Lamb, Leeks and Laverbread, Gilli Davies, Grafton (16 Mar 1989), ISBN 0-586-20139-4 3

7 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

7.1 Text

• Laver (seaweed) Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laver_(seaweed)?oldid=672576280 Contributors: Vicki Rosenzweig, Tim Star- ling, Tim Ivorson, Andycjp, Neutrality, Klemen Kocjancic, Cacycle, YUL89YYZ, Jnestorius, Arianna the First, Rjwilmsi, Fish and karate, Wavelength, Friedfish, Lockesdonkey, Warfreak, Closedmouth, SmackBot, InverseHypercube, Kintetsubuffalo, Rkitko, SchfiftyThree, Colonies Chris, Blake-, GameKeeper, NessieVL, SilkTork, Gobonobo, Peterlewis, Hogyn Lleol, Rosser1954, Mentifisto, Kaini, Snowded, Lenticel, Welshleprechaun, Jmcw37, Richard New Forest, VolkovBot, Chango369w, Selfool, SieBot, Moonraker12, Beccaviola, Shad- owradiance, Bagworm, Drop the soap!, MatthewVanitas, Addbot, Wakablogger2, Daicaregos, Yobot, AnakngAraw, Melonbarmonster2, AnomieBOT, Diádoco, St.nerol, Erik9bot, Thrissel, RjwilmsiBot, Spiffulent, Erianna, ChuispastonBot, Spicemix, Helpful Pixie Bot, BG19bot, NotWith, Caradog Llywelyn, YiFeiBot, Benjohnbarnes, Rul1890 and Anonymous: 33

7.2 Images

• File:Laver_and_toast.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Laver_and_toast.JPG License: Public do- main Contributors: ? Original artist: ?

7.3 Content license

• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0